Europa League witnessed an extraordinary display from Liverpool, defeating Sparta Prague 6-1 (Liverpool prevailed 11-2 in total over two legs). The prolific performance served as a stark warning for Manchester United ahead of their impending FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.
Liverpool, under the astute guidance of Jürgen Klopp, marched into the quarter-final draw through a goal bonanza, symbolic of an arithmetic problem evidently proving too great to track. When Cody Gakpo netted his second of the match on the 55th minute, the scoreline read 6-1 on the evening and 11-2 cumulatively.
The spotlight will certainly fall on Mohamed Salah’s triumphant return to the starting lineup for the first time since the commencement of the new year, rightfully overshadowing the approaching fixture against United. He played a significant role with a goal and three assists, remaining on the pitch for the duration of the match. This further exacerbates concerns for Erik ten Hag’s side as the weekend game looms.
Klopp’s team, true to their trademark style, applied relentless offensive pressure from the outset. Within the first six minutes, Brian Priske’s squad was dealt a significant blow, a trend that would occur thrice more before fifteen minutes had passed.
The opening goal by Darwin Núñez was uncomplicated, with Dominik Szoboszlai assisting from the right, setting Núñez up to strike decisively. Liverpool’s second was hatched straight from restart, exploiting glaring defensive frailties. Ladislav Krejci was dispossessed by Salah, who proceeded to assist Bobby Clark as he scored his first senior goal against Peter Vindahl.
The aggregate tally soon progressed from 7-1 to 8-1. This time, Jaroslav Zeleny was the one caught out as Clark intercepted the ball from him, passed it to Salah who fired the ball home with conviction.
The Czech champions, already reeling from the onslaught, were dealt another blow by Salah. His precise assist found Cody Gakpo who maintained his composure, taking the score to 9-1 and effectively ending the contest. This spectacle was likely as disheartening for United as it was for the defeated Prague side.
A solid 20 minutes elapsed before Vindahl’s goal faced another considerable threat. Salah misfired, causing the ball to wobble over to Núñez, who then squandered his opportunity from a short range, eliciting a laugh from Klopp. Inspired, Clark came close next, feinting in Sparta’s area to launch a powerful strike, which was defended by Vindahl.
Salah, disappointed, spent the remaining time of the period expressing his inability to increase the score, while Priske was seen applauding Veljko Birmancevic’s goal. The midfielder managed to surpass Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher on his left side with his run and score.
For the next half, Klopp swapped out Joe Gomez, Núñez, and Wataru Endo for Kostas Tsimikas, Harvey Elliott, and James McConnell. After this, the score escalated to 5-1 in their favour, with Szoboszlai’s goal being easily scored. The number eight player meandered towards the goal on an inside-right diagonal, took a shot, which ricocheted off Krejci and past Vindahl on his left, with Salah assisting once again.
The burning question was, how long would the Egyptian wizard last before Klopp decided to substitute him? He lasted long enough to see Elliott’s powerful shot, enabling Gakpo to take his chance past Vindahl for a hat-trick. Virgil van Dijk got a runout in preparation for Sunday’s journey up the M62, Klopp bringing him on for Jarell Quansah, but not before drawing a yellow card for a touch of sideline disagreement. Klopp welcomed this with a smirk towards the bench, then warmly embraced Quansah, who might have watched the match from a deckchair.
Despite the possible temptation of staying at his current post due to the dynamic team his successor will inherit, Klopp maintained it would be ridiculous to re-evaluate his decision to leave.
-Guardian